Is Your Business Model Working With You or Against You?

Let me ask you something straight from the heart: Is your business model supporting the way you naturally work… or does it feel like you’re constantly wrestling with it?

Maybe you’ve heard a version of this question as, “Are you working with your business or against your business?” But today I want to expand that conversation into something far more empowering: You don’t have to change who you are to fit a business model. You can change the model to fit you.

Wild concept, right?
And yet… life-changing.

Let me tell you a story.

A Business Model That Worked… Until It Really Didn’t

About 15–17 years ago, my work was mostly marketing projects. Websites, brochures, systems setup—project-based stuff. And as marketing shifted into the digital era, clients wanted (and needed) more consistency and more support.

So I built a retainer model: clients paid for a certain number of hours every month, and I delivered their marketing within those hours.

And honestly?
It worked. For a while.

It kept clients consistent.
It stabilized my income.
It was predictable.
It seemed “right.”

Until it absolutely wasn’t.

I became drained, resentful, overwhelmed, short-fused, and frankly… not the version of myself I enjoy being around.

I wasn’t serving my clients well.
I felt buried.
And I didn’t know why.

The Turning Point: Temperament Meets Business Model

Around this time, my mentor Melisa Pearce stepped in — first as a client, then as a coach.

She had me do two things:
Write a vision
Take the Keirsey-Bates temperament sorter

Both were transformative, but the temperament piece?
That was the earthquake.

The sorter labeled me an ENFP, and I resisted hard. I thought I was more organized, more systematic, more J-like.

I mean, I was running a system-heavy business model after all.

But as it turns out…
the sorter was right.

I was trying to operate as someone I simply wasn’t wired to be. And it was costing me energy, joy, and effectiveness.

Understanding Temperament (and Why It Matters in Business)

A common metaphor for temperament is handedness. Most of the world is built for right-handed people. If you’re left-handed, you can adapt… but it takes more energy.

Business models are no different.

Most of the business world is built with expectations like:
“Show up like an extrovert.”
“Follow the step-by-step.”
“Make decisions logically first.”
“Color inside the lines.”
“Stick to the rules.”

In other words, our world loves an ESFJ. Only about 12% of people fit this.

Which means… 88% of us are naturally working against the grain unless we consciously redesign our systems.

Temperament sorters like Keirsey-Bates or Myers-Briggs break down how we:
recharge (introvert vs. extrovert)
process information (sensing vs. intuitive)
make decisions (thinking vs. feeling)
organize life (judging vs. perceiving)

There’s no right or wrong.
There’s just: “Does your business fit the way you prefer to work?”

The Cost of Working Against Yourself

When your business model runs counter to your temperament, it shows up as:
overwhelm
procrastination
burnout
frustration
avoidance
resentment
stress
lack of excitement about the future

Or the dreaded: “Why does this always feel so hard?”

It isn’t you.
It’s the model.

Shifting My Business Model (And My Entire Life)

Once I understood my temperament, I slowly — and I mean slowly — began shifting my business model.

The first big change?

I got rid of trading dollars for hours.
No more retainers based on time tracking.
No more detailed reporting.
No more rule-heavy, structure-heavy systems that required me to essentially run my life from a spreadsheet.

Instead, I moved to letters of agreement outlining:
the value I provide
what my client is responsible for
what they can expect
what I charge for the relationship

And it changed everything.

Within six months:
I had my highest-revenue year ever at that time.
My energy completely shifted.
Clients were happier.
I was happier.
I had space to breathe again.

And yes, I lost some clients who preferred the old structure. But the ones who stayed (or became new clients) were a perfect fit for where I was going.

Evolving Toward My Zone of Genius

Over time, my business continued to evolve — toward the things that energize me:
teaching
consulting
creating
recording podcasts
designing courses
playing with AI and tech
diving deep into strategy

Now, my goal is to spend 80% or more of my time in my zones of genius… and continue evolving my model as I grow.

How to Start Rebuilding Your Business Model Around You

This is where you begin:

1. Take a temperament sorter
Myers-Briggs
Keirsey-Bates
Enneagram
StrengthsFinder
DISC

Take it as you, not:
the employee
the student
the role you think you “should” play

Answer it as your most natural, ideal version of yourself.

2. Look at what drains you
Ask yourself:
What tasks do I dread?
Where do I feel restricted?
Where do I lose energy?
What feels unnecessarily hard?

These places almost always offer clues.

3. Compare your struggles to your temperament
Sometimes the struggle is trauma-based.
Sometimes it’s conditioning.
Sometimes it’s lack of skills or structure.
But very often, it’s a mismatch of model vs. temperament.

4. Make small shifts
You do not have to overhaul your entire business.
Start tiny:
Reframe how you deliver a service
Change how you communicate with clients
Adjust how you structure your day
Switch the container you work inside of
Replace one system with a better-fitting one

Small changes compound into massive transformation.

Creating a Business That Supports the Life You Want to Live

At the end of the day, I want you to have:
more joy
more ease
less stress
more energy
more alignment
and yes… a healthier bottom line

Because when you work with your temperament instead of forcing yourself into someone else’s ideal, your entire business becomes lighter, more effective, and far more sustainable.

Your business model should support who you are, not demand a version of you that exhausts your soul.

And that shift?
It just might change everything.